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IEE faculty, fellows, staff, and projects in the news

Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment and Growing Impact logo, with the title "Cooling high performance buildings" with a background of a modern office building with air vents visible in the ceiling

Growing Impact: Cooling high-performance buildings

Cooling is energy-intensive, with air conditioning consuming a significant portion of electricity in homes and commercial buildings, while also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This creates a cycle of increasing energy demand for cooling. However, innovative materials that cool when strained offer a promising, sustainable solution for various applications.

Guests

Seed Grant Projects

Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2025 | Penn State University

Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2025

| psu.edu

The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2025.

Mentions

Huck Institutes bridge funding recipients announced | Penn State University

Huck Institutes bridge funding recipients announced

| psu.edu

The Bridge Funding Program, launched this spring, provides small, temporary support for projects facing unexpected funding challenges.

Mentions

Electric bills in Pennsylvania are going up next month. Your utility can’t help it.

Electric bills in Pennsylvania are going up next month. Your utility can’t help it.

| post-gazette.com

Electricity bills across the state are due to increase on June 1, when utilities reset a portion of their charges to reflect the current cost of energy. This article quotes Seth Blumsack, professor of energy policy and economics.

Mentions

High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save

High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save

| theconversation.com

Electricity rates are soaring in Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. 2 energy experts offer tips to lower your monthly bill. This article was written by two IEE faculty members: Seth Blumsack, professor of energy & mineral engineering, and Hannah Wiseman, professor of law at Penn State Law.

Authors

Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it

Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it

| theconversation.com

Aging infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks, and increased demand from data centers are hitting consumers’ wallets. This article was written by two IEE faculty members: Seth Blumsack, professor of energy & mineral engineering, and Hannah Wiseman, professor of law at Penn State Law.

Authors

A large black drone equipped with a seed hopper hovers over a partially deforested landscape.

Why drone-planted forests can struggle to take root—and a nature-inspired solution

As deforestation accelerates, reforestation efforts face a major hurdle: most scattered seeds don’t survive. New bio-inspired research is developing natural seed coatings to help seeds withstand tough conditions and improve their chances of taking root.

Authors

Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate awards seed funding to five research projects | Penn State University

Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate awards seed funding to five research projects

| psu.edu

Penn State’s Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation has awarded seed grants to five interdisciplinary research projects. These grants support collaborative projects led by Penn State faculty who aim to generate innovative solutions to complex challenges in real estate and the built environment. 

Mentions

A state court judge in Pennsylvania has decided to toss out a lawsuit

Court dismisses Pennsylvania county's lawsuit against big oil

| climateinthecourts.com

State courts have been split over whether to advance cases alleging fossil fuel companies deceived the public about climate change. A state court judge in Pennsylvania has decided to toss out a lawsuit filed by a county government last year against major oil and gas companies. This article quotes Hannah Wiseman, an IEE faculty member and professor of law at Penn State Law.

Mentions

Urban heat portal aims to tackle rising temperatures, protect at-risk residents | Penn State University

Urban heat portal aims to tackle rising temperatures, protect at-risk residents

| psu.edu

As heat and associated risks intensify in cities around the world, a new tool developed by researchers in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Penn State and the Department of Urban Policy at Hunter College aims to shed light on how rising temperatures affect New York City’s neighborhoods — and what can be done to protect the most vulnerable communities.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Penn State announces non-tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2025 | Penn State University

Penn State announces non-tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2025

| psu.edu

The following is a list of non-tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2025.

Mentions

Podcast graphic for Penn State’s Growing Impact episode titled “Cooling High Performance Buildings,” featuring Wenjie Li, Assistant Research Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. Background shows a modern office interior.

Growing Impact: Cooling high-performance buildings (Preview)

| youtu.be

Full episode release date: June 1, 2025. Cooling is energy-intensive, with air conditioning consuming a significant portion of electricity in homes and commercial buildings, while also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This creates a cycle of increasing energy demand for cooling. However, innovative materials that cool when strained offer a promising, sustainable solution for various applications.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects